Goodbye
by Kyuubi no Kitsune0101
Summary: Why are goodbyes the hardest? A funeral means many things. It's a goodbye to someone, but as it goes on, their memory is alive in the one that loved them most. No matter how weak they are or how sad it is to remember. NaruShika. T for suggested themes.


**This is just an experiment. Wanted to try something different.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto**

He stood there with red rimmed eyes because he had cried all night long. He didn't want to be there, but he had to. They were burying the only person he had ever loved in the proper sense of the term. He wore the funeral clothes because Sakura and Ino had come over earlier and dressed him. He was practically being held up by Choji and Kiba. They were sad, but it was nothing compared to the heartache he was feeling. Fresh tears rolled down his face when the casket passed by to be put on the funeral pyre. Tsunade stepped up to talk.

"We gather here today to remember a hero, a son, a brother, a best friend, a teammate, and a soul mate. May he be in peace elsewhere," Tsunade started. She hated to look at the man in the front row who was falling apart with every second that ticked by. Everyone was lost in memories anyhow.

GOODBYE

Naruto blushed as he stood outside the Academy. He was seventeen and still wondering if he was man enough to be someone's man. He looked up and down the road for the boy, no, man, he was waiting for. His face never lost the blush as he tried to figure out how to say it and say it right.

"Naruto? What's wrong? Are you sick?" Shikamaru asked as he rushed over. Naruto closed his eyes when the genius's cool fingers touched his arm. He had to get it out there. He couldn't keep denying himself happiness like this anymore. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Nara Shikamaru, I love you!" Naruto almost shouted. He closed his eyes to avoid witnessing the rejection. He heard nothing and slowly relaxed enough to open them. Shikamaru stood there in shock. He didn't know how to react. "If you want, we can forget this had ever happened." Naruto was the next one to be shocked. Needy lips took his for a quick kiss.

"What makes you think I want this forgotten?" Shikamaru said, grinning before kissing Naruto slow and deep this time. They would both be given an earful the next day from Iruka and made to apologize in front of his students, who would snicker and giggle at how they held hands.

GOODBYE

"We all have fond memories of him, and we should treasure those memories. He was a great man. Great men don't happen often, but he fell under that category. He lost people close to him such as his sensei, but he prevailed. He showed everyone that he could stand back up after being knocked down." Tsunade continued to talk because talk was all she had left. He only had memories left because tears meant absolutely nothing.

GOODBYE

"Why?" Shikamaru asked. He sounded weak and afraid. Naruto sat there, staring at the wall as if it would provide the answers. "You're a dead man walking, Naruto. When should I expect the letter to appear?" Shikamaru's voice was now laced with hatred as Naruto wouldn't look at him. His left shoulder spoke all the words Shikamaru needed to hear. The tattoo that made him sick to his stomach and the mask sitting on the table were enough. "Are you going to say anything!" Shikamaru was standing and had hit the table with the palm of his hands. This wasn't like them. Naruto looked at him with tired blue eyes. He turned his whole body to face the man he loved.

"Shikamaru, what are the chances of me becoming Hokage?" Naruto asked slowly. He held his hand up to stop Shikamaru from talking. "I will never be Hokage. I have to be in the closest position I can be so that I may protect you and the future Hokages." Naruto pressed his forehead against the wooden table. "Be mad at me, but remember something, Shikamaru." Naruto closed his eyes and knew he had to leave. He got up, grabbed his mask, and paused at the door to the outside. "I'm your boyfriend before I'm a soldier." The door shut rather quietly as Shikamaru slid to the floor. He could only imagine what would happen in the field. He didn't want to think about the mortality rate.

Naruto returned two days later and found Shikamaru lying on the floor still. He said nothing as he picked up his lover and carried him back to bed. Food would come later. Shikamaru didn't protest as he wished to have a switch in his brain. He wished he could switch on and off his love because he didn't want to feel the pain when Naruto didn't walk through the door ever again. Naruto said nothing as he kissed Shikamaru's cheek and quickly, as quickly as he could go with a limp man, got Shikamaru down to his boxers. He stripped himself down to the same state and curled up in the bed with Shikamaru tightly in his arms. Shikamaru closed his eyes and felt at home.

GOODBYE

"He fought for his country, his village, his people, his Hokage, and his loved ones," Tsunade continued. She stopped and looked at everyone here to say goodbye. Even the Kazekage showed at the deceased's lover's request. Tsunade would've smiled, but she couldn't bring it to her face as her eyes stopped on him. He was being held onto by Choji and Kiba and looked like he went through hell. He was probably the only person who cried out loud. Silent tears went down many faces, but he gave out sobs of a broken heart. Tsunade didn't have any more words to say.

GOODBYE

Naruto grinned as he dodged the flying jell-o. Shikamaru laughed as they continued their antics of throwing jell-o. He would have to help clean it up later, but it was better than sitting in silence. They were just dancing around the issue of how Naruto got into the hospital. All the bandages looked menacing and of darker parts of life despite their white crispness. Shikamaru was cut off mid-laugh by a rough hand grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him in for a long deep kiss.

"I love you," Naruto whispered. Shikamaru said them back because that was what sealed the relationship. They couldn't marry, but they could live together. They couldn't adopt, but their female friends offered to be surrogates. Naruto and Shikamaru haven't discussed children yet because while Naruto fights under the porcelain mask, Shikamaru can't bear to bring that stress on another human being. Especially an infant. "So, what are we going to do while I'm off?" Naruto's injury had him on a two month medical leave. He was considered overworked and ordered to relax. By the grin on Naruto's face, Shikamaru knew exactly what he wanted to do.

"Only if I get to top this time," Shikamaru said. Naruto still grinned and couldn't wait to try it out. Shikamaru heard a nurse coming by and quickly changed the topic. "So the apartment needs…" He trailed off once the nurse was out of earshot. Naruto burst into giggles because they got caught before saying dirty things in front of the nursing staff and the children. "Naruto, I've got to go see my parents, so I'll be back later, okay?" Naruto pouted a bit as Shikamaru stood up.

"Don't forget to be back before sundown," Naruto said. Shikamaru nodded. Tsunade allowed Shikamaru to stay nights in the hospital with Naruto, but Shikamaru had to be checked in as a visitor before sundown. His timing was impeccable before, but that was because Naruto got nervous staying in the hospital alone. It was a lonely place to sleep anyhow. Shikamaru quickly left to go to his parents. They were wondering how Naruto was doing.

When Naruto returned from the mission, he was in real bad shape. There were literally holes in his body. He was covered in blood when he passed out in the kitchen. Shikamaru had woken up due to the crashing of items with the floor and had gone to investigate. The porcelain mask and that damned tattoo were probably the only things that were left unscathed. Shikamaru had wasted no time even though he had shown up in the ER wearing only boxers. The nurses didn't notice until late either.

GOODBYE

Tsunade stopped talking and left it open for all of the friends to say goodbye. It was a depressing sight filled with more tears than words. Kiba helped Hinata to the casket and back to her seat. He went back up for his turn. His spot was replaced by Kakashi, who took Choji's place as well. Kakashi had an arm wrapped around the waist of the only one bawling his eyes out silently. Kiba couldn't look anymore. He stared forward as he made it back up there. He stopped at the spot Tsunade had stood in.

"He was a good man. I remember being a prankster with him. Iruka-sensei always yelled at us, but he meant well. I recall being a Genin again. That dumb mission when we went after Sasuke. I wish I had the guts then to tell him to forget about the chase. Sasuke had made his choice. I didn't, and we all got hurt. Bad. He took it the hardest because we failed," Kiba rattled on. He stopped at looked at the person Kakashi held up. "Now, what is left? We can talk about how great or awesome he was. We can wallow in memories, but they won't bring him back. He's still dead, and we're still depressed." Kiba stepped away as Ino stood there. She had passed the infant she had been carrying around to Sakura.

"I remember him. He would stick with his group of boys that were always causing mischief. Even as they grew older, they were still close. They had a bond that we couldn't break. How is it possible that he died?" Ino asked, her voice cracking. Kakashi kept a steel grip as his charge was going limp. "We can't forget those he left behind. A child and a lover. What sacrifice they have made today. How can we just forget?" Ino was crying too much to continue as the bawler let another memory unfold before his eyes.

GOODBYE

"Don't look at me like that," Naruto said as he continued snapping up his uniform. "I promise I'll be back. As a present, I'll let you top again." Naruto kissed Shikamaru despite the worried look on the man's face. Naruto was leaving on another mission. He didn't seem too worried about it, but Shikamaru was practically freaking out. It was the kind of mission that Naruto wasn't allowed to tell a single detail of for the rest of his life. Shikamaru kept imagining headstones though.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Shikamaru said. Naruto pulled Shikamaru to the bedroom and pushed the genius down onto the mattress. "Naruto." Wandering lips were very distracting. Shikamaru was having a difficult time keeping his senses. "Please Naruto, take back the fool's promise." Naruto stopped and hovered over Shikamaru with confused eyes.

"Oh, my love, I do so intend to keep my promise of returning to you and only you for I do so enjoy it when you do all the work instead." Naruto's laughter filled the house until his return a week later. Shikamaru was relieved to see his lover sleeping at the table in the morning after his supposed return. He never told anyone that he never forgot Naruto's promise because it seemed more fun when Naruto begged him instead.

GOODBYE

"Stop saying he's a great man. He's greater than great. He's better than better," the bawler finally whispered. Kakashi nodded and allowed himself to be replaced by Kiba and Choji. He twirled the white rose in his hand as he walked up. Nobody said anything as he stood where everyone stood to speak. Not many people were speaking. What more could be said about a man who no longer lived?

"I remember the wedding," Kakashi said. He had a far off look in his eye. "I remember the happiness that just radiated off of both of them. Never have I seen either of them that happy. I can still see the lights and hear the music. I remember the birth of their child. How precious he is. I will also never forget the look I saw when he left, when he died, and when he never had the chance to know. I wasn't on the mission. I wasn't there, but I'm sure he wanted us to only remember the times of happiness aloud and secretly remember the times of brokenness." The bawler was loud now. Kakashi placed the rose on the casket and walked over to the bawler. He took the man in his arms and helped him up to the casket.

GOODBYE

"I'll be gone for awhile, you know?" Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded. He was in the hospital again for a slight concussion from passing out in the Hokage's office. Tsunade wanted him to stay overnight for observations. Naruto didn't seem to mind. "Tsunade said about a year because of the peace talks and recon I have to perform. I don't leave till tomorrow though." The lights around the hospital went out as Shikamaru pulled Naruto closer. "Maybe we can think about our life together. What about children? We could adopt." Naruto fell asleep listening to Shikamaru talk.

Naruto was released and taken back to their house by Shikamaru, who needed to pack. It was Naruto's turn to watch as his partner left him for a mission. The blonde didn't like the feeling, but he knew Shikamaru felt it when he left too. He wanted to promise that he'd never leave again as if to avoid such a feeling. Shikamaru finished packing and looked at the blonde.

"I'll be back," Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded and kissed him goodbye. He watched Shikamaru walk through the door and never look back. Something inside him clenched as he felt like throwing up.

GOODBYE

"Forget or remember?" the bawler asked. Kakashi let go of him as he watched him grip the single red rose in his hand hard enough for blood to squeeze through the cracks. "Why does it matter? I always imagined him doing this instead of me. It was always supposed to be him doing this." It didn't matter. Kakashi stepped away and watched as the finally goodbye was spoken.

GOODBYE

Naruto was taken off active duty not long after Shikamaru left. He was sickly and kept passing out when he attempted to train. Tsunade ran every medical test she could. Naruto said most of the problems came from his abdomen. Tsunade was running out of all the male tests she could perform. On a whim, she tried to find the problem herself using chakra. The problem wasn't necessarily a problem, but a growing baby. Naruto tried to send word to Shikamaru about the baby, but he received no notice of Shikamaru getting the letters.

The day the baby was born was a month shy of Shikamaru's return date. Naruto could only remember how beautiful the night sky was when he was in labor. The baby didn't cry a whole lot and had fine strands of blonde hair on top his small head. Naruto cried as he held his son. His baby son was all he had until Shikamaru came home. Everyone was wondering one thing. The baby's name.

"I was trying to go for a Shika family thing, but I can't think of any combinations," Naruto said to Kakashi, who was visiting. The Jonin nodded as he held the unnamed infant as Naruto sat on his hospital bed. "I talked to Kurenai yesterday though. She told me as much as she would love for him to be named Asuma, it was too painful. I was thinking about my dad's name, the Third's, Sasuke's, and even yours. I choose from those awesome names." Kakashi chuckled at his former student. He was amazed at how the blonde's brain worked.

"Those names carry too much weight. Go to the stone if you want him named after a hero. Find one without weight," Kakashi said. Naruto escaped the hospital, much to the medics' enjoyment. He returned with a grin on his face. "What name have you chosen, Naruto?" Naruto said nothing as he sat down on his hospital bed. The nurse brought in the nameless infant for Naruto to hold.

"Kakashi, I did as you said, and I found the name that had you, Shikamaru, myself, Sasuke, and my father all rolled into one," Naruto said. Kakashi was slightly terrified to find out the name. "Kakashi, if you'd let me, I want to name my son, Obito." Kakashi laughed as he heard the name. Never did he imagine he'd hear someone named that ever again. Naruto cheered when Kakashi nodded and asked to finish filling out the birth certificate. Nara Obito was a happy baby all the same.

GOODBYE

A baby started to cry rather loudly, and the original bawler stepped away to claim his son. He soothed the crying and looked at the people he knew as friends. They knew a lot about him, but they would never understand him. He was different from them in more ways than one. They both were. Ever since their marriage. He wanted to smile at that thought at least.

"I choose both. I'm willing to forget the arguing, but I will never forget how much it meant to him that I came home. Every time, we would promise. I will never forget those promises. I can't remove his memory from my brain as much as I want to right now. I just can't, but I'm willing to let go of the things that didn't define who we were," he said. He held the baby closer to him and tried to be the other parent. It was just too hard.

GOODBYE

To say that Shikamaru wasn't surprised to see the baby in Naruto's arms when he returned home would be a fat lie. Naruto was so excited to see Shikamaru home and safe. They were a happy family now and would always be. Shikamaru had regrets of not being there and made a note to thank all his friends. Naruto kind of looked away when he said the name. Shikamaru whispered one word into Naruto's ear and managed to kidnap the baby from Naruto's arms. It was time that Obito got to know Daddy. To say that Naruto and Shikamaru lived happily ever after with Obito would be another lie.

"Why do you have to go?" Shikamaru asked. He was feeding the baby as Naruto prepared. The horrid porcelain mask stared from the bed. It had been six months since Naruto gave birth, and Shikamaru knew this day would come. Naruto belonged in the Shinobi world. Family was just an added bundle. "Can't they send someone else?" Naruto didn't say anything. He just placed his hitai-ate in his nightstand drawer and picked up his mask. "Naruto, say something, please." Shikamaru knew by the look on Naruto's face that this mission was going to be bad.

"I promise I will return."

GOODBYE

"I don't think I will ever be able to forget the last words he said to me. Those words will stick with me until I die," he said as he remembered that day. He wiped some of his tears away and looked at the casket. It was cold and was nothing like the man who was lying inside it. "Why is it that goodbye seems to be the hardest thing to do?" Nobody had an answer.

GOODBYE

Naruto ran as fast as he could. He could feel his chakra disappearing. Where was it going? He ran and held onto the giant cut in his armor. He was bleeding out. Naruto scrambled to get away though. He didn't dare look back because that could be mean instant death. The ANBU just dodged as many trees as he could and eventually crossed over into friendly borders. He stopped against a tree and closed his eyes to relax and breathe.

"It's a beautiful night," Naruto whispered to no one. He held his giant cut that went from his side up to the opposite shoulder. He was hurting to say the least, but he didn't think about it. He was thinking of his warm home where Obito and Shikamaru were waiting. He could just imagine the shadow ninja playing on the floor with the baby. He could practically hear Obito giggling and Shikamaru smiling. He could feel only the warm of the house and the love. He could just picture himself sitting on the recliner, just watching peacefully. He never realized how slow his breathing got or the rapid heartbeat just trying to continue on. He didn't feel it when everything stopped because he was _home_.

Kakashi came across him in the morning. The Jonin was just a passerby as he was returning from the same direction. He didn't cry when he presented the Hokage with the body. He didn't cry when he told Shikamaru about Naruto's death. He held the bawling Shikamaru as the genius was lost in grief. The sunshine was gone, and Kakashi felt practically alien in the actual sunshine that day.

"Goodbye Naruto."

GOODBYE

"Goodbye Naruto. I love you so much, but I have to say goodbye. For your sake, Obito's sake, and my own sake. One day, I will see you again," Shikamaru said. He tossed the red rose onto the casket as it was lit on fire. No one else spoke as Shikamaru cried in front of the orange light. "Goodbye Naruto. I promise to love you forever." Nobody thought this promise would be broken.

**If you love it, thank you. If you hated it, I'm sorry that my fanfiction is crappy. If you don't care, thanks for reading it. Tell me what you think.**

**Yes, I do know it is kind of choppy. It's just an experiment.**


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